Pence welcome in Brussels

The meeting followed on from the High Representative’s contacts with Vice President Pence in the last months, and with other leading members of the new US administration – namely Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defence James Mattis – both during her visit to Washington on 9-10 February and last week in Europe.

Mogherini and Pence discussed the importance of a strong partnership between the EU and the US, which is essential for both sides of the Atlantic.

In an open and warm conversation, the High Representative reaffirmed a strong willingness of the EU to continue building a strong EU-US partnership on the basis of clear values and interests, and cooperating closely on bilateral as well as international issues.

On the latter, they had an in depth exchange on common priorities, from Syria to Ukraine, from Libya to the Middle East, from Afghanistan to DPRK. As chairperson of the Joint Commisdion, Mogherini stressed the need to preserve and fully implement the Iran nuclear deal.

The two also shared views on how to deepen and strengthen cooperation on counter-terrorism, in particular in the context of the anti-Daesh coalition.